The Buffalo Bills currently have more than $19 million in available cap space, and Jairus Byrd will miss minicamp because the team still hasn’t presented him with an adequate contract. It’s moments like these that make it that much more difficult to get out of bed on gloomy, rainy days like today in upstate New York.

In order for the Bills to break their seemingly never-ending streak of mediocrity, they need to make good decisions with their personnel. Re-signing your best and most consistent defensive back qualifies as a good decision. If Buffalo lets Byrd test free agency, fans will be outraged, and the move will be viewed as yet another inexplicable roster blunder.

For once, there are plenty of legitimate reasons for Bills fans to be excited. The organization as a whole is moving forward into a new era, and Jairus Byrd needs to be part of it. He is a proven difference-maker, and it’s impossible to get better as a team if you let your best players walk.

Although the team has placed a franchise tag on Byrd, it’s clear that the two sides are far from reaching an agreement. Negotiation is one thing, but as of Monday, Byrd is one of only two players in the NFL who was franchised this offseason and has yet to sign a contract. The Bills need to pay up, and soon. Now that Byrd risks missing mandatory team activities, this game of financial chicken has to stop.

If the Bills want to drop the ‘same old’ prefix sometime this millennium, they need to get Jairus Byrd on board as soon as possible.

Matt Ploss is a Buffalo Bills writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewPloss, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google